Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-03-05
FISHES THAT TALK.
ODD Sounds Made by Many Species Of
Finny Dwellers in the Sea.

Ood bounds Made by Many Species OF
Finny Dwellers in the Sea.
A number of years ago, while on a
hshing-trip in the Gulf of Mexico, in
the city of fucatan, | hauled in a small
fish known to science as the hnmulon
and to sailors as the grunt, and never
was a ilsh better named, as no sooner
did ! take it in hand than it rolled a
most expressive pair of eyes rs far us
a fish could roll them and commenced
an appeal that astonished me, saws a
writer in the Boston Herald. First the
grunts were lew and uttered singly:
then they grew louder and faster, and
finally the fish hurled ut me a vollev of
sounds that ! accepted rs IN entreaty
for mercy End hurried,y tossed hmm
back, Late- | caught many grunts
and they wee all very talkativc out of
the water; but whether these sounds
could be uttered in their native element
it would he difficult 90 determine.
have heard the hgmalon orunt, the
grouper, rs well rs a number of fishes,
cr9ak, and the do9tish bark (croak).
The little seahorse, hippocampus, vi
tered 4 curious sound hat is caused
by the vibrations IF certain small vol
untary muscles. DR.. G. &. Abbott
heard the mud suniish, acantharchus
promttus, utter g deep, grunting sound,
and the gizzard shad makes an audi
ble, whirring noise. The club sucker,
e2inyzon oblungam. utters Il single,
prcnged note. while the catfish, amiur-
Us lynx, prodpces a gentle, humming
sound. Abbott believes. however, that
the most musical of the fishes is the
eel, that utters a single note frequently
repeated, and has Il slightly metallic
The fact that the organ Of
hearing in these musical fishes is very
we'll developed would seem to point TO
the belief that the notes were calls;
and. AS the air bladder in the fish rep
other animals, there is no reason for
not thinking that the fishes have vocal
communication. The musical Totes
and noises are produced in several
different ways. Some are due TO the
action of the pneumatic duet and swim
ming bladder, while others are acci-
dental or produced involuntarily by
the lips of the pharangea' or intcrmax-
Hilary bones. The notes made by the
carp andtench are due 10 the latter,
while those of the cattishes and cells are
made by&orcing air from the swim
ming-bladder into the Tsophagu q
That fishes utters0unds has beea
known for many centuries, and some
years ago it was taken advantage Of
by a Snowman at n watering-place II
England to deceive the general public.
The owner Of the talking fish had a
portable aquarium upon the beach and
IN it several fishes. and when a crowd
would gather about the tank he would
announce that the fish would answer
questions. He would then lift one Of
the fishes u of the water and allow
the spectators TO hear It's gruut, eE-
planning that it would talk only when
under water. The fish was then re-
turned and someone would ask Il Ques-
ton, upon which a fish would dart to
the surface, and a soft low voice would
be heerd answering the question cor
rectiy. But the secret of this very re
markable fish was finally found out.
the trick being carried out on the same
plan As the famous chess-player,
A very small man was concealed in
the imitation of rock-work of the
tank, who replied TO the questions
through a tube that Red TO the surface,
the opening being concealed in the
rock-work near the fishes. When 6
question was asked the exhibitor
dropped some food unohserved into
the water. which made the fish dart
upward in "A very n~atRral manner, and
the voice being heard at the same time
the illuslon was complete and many
ignoran. people were deceived.